Prepare yourself, this is the most adorable story you’ll hear today. These two absolutely stole my heart during our session with their love story. I’m serious, I said ‘aw’ so many times it started to sound weird to me, but honestly that’s how heartwarming these two are.

After dating for years and years, they finally got engaged…at this very park, on this very railroad tie, witnessed by their GoPro camera. I love it so much. Just listening to them retell the story made me smile over and over again. A special place, a special story, a special couple.

They brought me back here today, on their dating anniversary for one last desert photo session. This park has become one of their favorite places in Arizona and it’s part of who they are, so it was the perfect spot. We had such a fun day hiking, chatting, taking in the breathtaking scenery, laughing, and getting some pretty amazing photos before they say goodbye to Arizona. I was truly honored to take these pictures for them. The only bad thing about all this is that they’re moving…to Canada!

When it comes to documentary photography there’s a lot of black and white out there, but should you always choose black and white? Honestly, I think it depends. Let’s talk a little bit about choosing color or black and white.

Most of the time when I’m shooting an everyday moment or a documentary type photo, I’m trying to capture or convey some sort of emotion. Something inspired me and I want whatever that was to come through in the photograph. For me personally, when I look at a picture, a black and white image usually speaks to me more than color. Usually, but not always. I always try to ask myself “does the color add something special to this image?” If the answer is yes, I keep the color. If the answer is no, black and white it goes.

In the images above you can see our oldest daughter, Madilynn shaking off (like a dog, she said – haha) after her dad sprayed her down with the hose on a warm spring afternoon. After careful consideration, I decided to keep these in black and white versus color.

Here’s why; even though I loved the color version and being able to feel the warmth of the sun as it hit her hair while she shook the water out of it, I felt like the background was distracting. Part of the pavers were wet from being sprayed with the hose, creating lines and darker colors and there were lots of vertical architectural lines making the background very busy. I felt like Mad sort of got lost in all of it and I really wanted her to pop, so I changed it to black and white.

In the black and white version, you still get the brightness from the sun as it hits her hair, but the background distractions are muted, more balanced, and she stands out more. So in this case, I felt that the color took away from the power of these images, so I went with black and white.

And of course, there is always an element of personal preference too when choosing color or black and white, so don’t be afraid to go with your gut!

I go through this same process with every photo and a lot of the time, I end up choosing black and white for my documentary shots, but there are definitely times when color is necessary and makes the photo even better.

What’s the difference between lifestyle and documentary photography, you ask? Well, there are all sorts of thoughts on this subject and some would even say it’s in the gray area, but I’ve formed my own beliefs about it and I’ll tell you what they mean to me and my business, and why I deeply love them both.

Lifestyle photography

During a lifestyle session, the photographer will be involved. She will help guide the subjects into poses that photograph well and may tidy up or set the scene to look the best in photographs. She may also direct the subjects in what to do, where to go, or give prompts to help create emotion or personal connection.

Documentary photography

During a documentary session, the photographer will not be in involved. She will work only in the background. She will not intervene with the subjects, the scene, or with the events unfolding (or very minimally so). She will only photograph real life as it happens.

The photo on the left is a lifestyle session. I had control; I made sure the subjects were sitting in a well lit room with natural light, positioned them with side light coming in from the window, and chose bright colored books for them to read, since the background was very neutral. I didn’t direct them on what to do, I just set the scene and let them go.

In the documentary photo on the right, I had no control over anything. The room was dim and poorly lit, there was a bright light shining up towards mom and baby, and the nurses were busily working in front of and around me. I stayed out of the action and snapped away, documenting the birth of this sweet little guy as it really was.

Both images are beautiful and both are amazing, but they’re very different.

I generally say I am a lifestyle photographer because I like to have some control over the subjects and the scene (mostly lighting), but the truth is, I am really both. While I love the gorgeous more curated look of lifestyle photography, I am equally drawn to the raw, honest emotion seen in documentary photography. If you asked me to choose one or the other, lifestyle or documentary, I don’t think I could. My passion for photography includes both.

When it comes to my favorite lenses, the 50mm lens is probably my favorite one of all time. It was one of the first lenses I purchased separately when I decided to get serious about photography and I’ve had one in my bag ever since. I remember reading that it was a good lens for food photography and at the time, I was just getting into blogging, so it was a no-brainer, I was buying a 50mm.

Like most new photographers, I started with the least expensive one, the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and learned it inside and out. Even though it wasn’t expensive, it changed my photography forever. I was finally beginning to understand photography and was taking photos I didn’t hate. After a few years, I finally upgraded to the Canon 50mm f/1.2, since it’s a lens I literally use every single day. And I absolutely love it. I hardly ever take it off my camera, it’s that good. In fact, here are some reasons why everyone should own a 50mm lens.

They’re inexpensive (for the most part)

You can pick up a good quality 50mm lens for not a ton of cash, making it the perfect lens for hobbyists or new photographers. When I was just getting started in photography, I couldn’t justify the expense of the f/1.2 lens, nor did I have a full-frame camera body to support it, so the less expensive lenses were my only option. I’ve actually owned (and since sold) both the f/1.8 and the f/1.4 and they both produced quality images. The professional 50mm f/1.2 however, is quite pricey, but is absolutely worth it when you’re ready for it.

They’re versatile

The 50mm lens is really good in any situation. It is lightweight enough to carry with you everywhere and has a low enough aperture to take great shots in low-light situations. It’s also the lens that’s the closest to the human eye, so what you see in real life is what you will see in the photograph. I think that’s one reason I fell in love with it; that, and because you really can shoot anything with a 50mm.

They’re a great size

The 50mm is a compact little lens (at any price point) and they aren’t super heavy, which makes it a great walk around lens. It’s not long and clunky like some of the zoom lenses and it doesn’t take up much room in your camera bag (or purse) if it’s not in use.

They’re easy to work with

Since the 50mm is a prime lens, there’s really nothing to it. It’s fast and very user friendly, put it on, point, focus, shoot.

Bokeh, bokeh, bokeh

All the 50mm lenses I’ve shot with (the f/1.8, f/1.4, and the f/1.2) have produced beautiful bokeh in my photographs without much effort. They are crisp and sharp at lower apertures, allowing me to shoot wide open or close to it for a really soft, out-of-focus background, which I have always loved.

See, I told you I had some great reasons why everyone should own a 50mm lens! But let’s not forget my number one reason that I started off with, they’re just awesome! Do you own a 50mm? Do you love it?